Rider is Readily Ridden
by Fatuous One
Summary: Rider discovers the path of least resistance.


Disclaimer: All rights of ownership of "Fate/stay night" and its characters belong to Kinoku Nasu, Takashi Takeuchi, TYPE-MOON on a whole, and other affiliated companies such as Kodokawa Shoten, Studio DEEN, and Geneon. This is purely a work of fiction made by fans, for fans. If any of the respective owners ask, I will remove all content that I do not hold any rights to (meaning, by proxy, the whole story).

Warning: The author is an insipid hack. Contents may need to be cleansed before consumption.

Thanks to: Mereo Flere (Kyoli) for inspiring the idea in the first place and for the C Voivoid, Unknownone and sigfried27 for helping along with the idea making; armedlord for unknowingly giving me some encouragement and for some helpful C and ttestagr for more C&C.

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Rider is Readily Ridden – Begin Chapter One

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Archer frowned as he quickly scaled the building. He thought it a considerable stroke of bad luck that Rin happened to observe the beginnings of the battle between Saber and Rider.

'No choice, go support Shirou!'

His wounds were healed; he had no problems entering a battle, yet… Honestly, he felt a certain amount of disgust in the command, like his very being revolted at the thought of helping that mage. Regardless, he wouldn't disobey his Master's order.

It was a scene that he predicted well that came into his vision once he reached the top. Saber was fending off a swath of attacks from the purpled-haired Rider. Narrowing his eyes, Archer noted the bridle hooked around the winged horse's neck.

'And that would make her…' Archer carefully kept himself concealed. Judging from what he knew of the Master of Rider, he might very well be near. It would be infinitely better to slay the boy than to battle that Servant.

'But at this rate, it won't be long before Saber is defeated.' Saber seemed to have realized the same thing. Whatever her Noble Phantasm was, the rapidity of the swooping attacks was enough that she couldn't ready it. At this point, it would only be a test of endurance, or until one of them got distracted.

"Saber!" Archer swore to himself as he heard the idiotic boy's shout. A part of him realized that Shirou couldn't have possibly known the situation, being mentally retarded, but still…

Abandoning his short-lived search for Rider's Master, Archer dashed over to the alarmed Saber and blocked the incoming attack. Feeling a wave of heat, even behind both of his up-raised swords, Archer felt his respect for Saber – and her Noble Phantasm – up a notch.

"Go," Archer intoned. "At this point, it will only be a matter of time before you're killed."

Pausing for only a moment, Saber shot him an indecipherable look before running over to her Master at top speed. It took less than a second before the blonde grabbed Shirou and vaulted over the end of the building, while Archer grunted from deflecting another swoop.

Rider stopped momentarily as her main prey escaped. With her Noble Phantasm far too noticeable, she couldn't pursue them without risking attracting even MORE enemies.

"Damn it!" Shinji cursed as he saw his chance go down the drain in barely a handful of seconds. "Rider, kill that red coated bastard!"

The response was instantaneous, and Archer opted to dodge instead of risk being fried by failing to completely block the attack. Being encumbered only by what was akin to body armor, Archer's reactions were far superior to Saber's. However, he realized without even a moment's thought that it would only be a matter of time before his luck ran dry.

His options were few. While he had a large arsenal at his disposal, anything that took more time to Trace would be too long, that included simply converting his bow and arrow and aiming. However, even if he did, he very much doubted that he would be able to penetrate the Pegasus' defense.

'I could…" Archer felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks at the ridiculousness of his plan, not to mention that if he was even off by a slight margin he'd be dead within a moment's notice.

There simply wasn't any other choice. A blade could work in the same situation, but chances of killing Rider in a single blow were slim, even more so than his bizarre idea.

"No choice." Archer grimaced. Feeling the familiar power of maryoku coursing through his body, he readied himself as the golden-white beam began its next deadly pass.

It all happened in a single instant, less than a second. Archer had been able to maneuver closer to the stairwell, and as the Pegasus flew down to kill him, he leapt over to the outcrop and rebounded, bringing himself just above the legendary beast as it came down. The opening was there, and Archer expertly flung the end of his tool.

Archer swore that it was the most nerve-racking millisecond of his life – of the life that he could remember anyway.

He would also swear that the next one was the most relieving, as he felt his end pull taut. Rider would only give a small gasp, which quickly turned into a gag as she was forcefully yanked off her steed from her neck and flipped around dizzyingly, slamming face first into the hard cement of the building right after.

Wasting no time, Archer swiftly descended onto his enemy, smashing onto her back – stunning her in the process. Using the skills now open to him, it took only moments to adjust the bridle before he felt a warm glow in his skull.

It was, he decided, a rather odd feeling. The aforementioned glow was more like a tight ball comprised of emotions that he could feel from his 'steed', obviously a side effect of being a user of the Bridle of Chivalry. Even without the ability, he could tell that Rider was completely disoriented, and also slightly panicked. Something that he DID find surprising was the twinge of relief that soon budded into being as she started to become a bit more aware.

"R-Rider?!" The surprised yelp of Shinji made Archer crack an unfriendly smile. Using the speed that was part of being an Eirei, he created a single blade – Kanshou – and flung it in the direction of the voice. Only pausing to glance in the direction to confirm that the squishy noise was indeed Shinji's brain being splattered over the rooftops, Archer turned back to the purpled-haired Servant.

"Hmm…" Archer pondered. His awareness of his 'steed' appeared to be increasing, enough that he could distinctly grasp at each emotion and get a surface thought on its existence. Well, it was less an actual thought and more like a series of half-formed images. For instance, he could feel a large amount of satisfaction accompanying the picture of Shinji's corpse littering the cement.

"Funny, I don't remember this being a part of it." Archer scratched his head as he actually took a look at the golden-like material in his hands. The oddity was that he CLEARLY remembered the rope Rider used on Pegasus lacking a bit, yet the hard material was now digging into the Servant's mouth, inconveniently muting any speech she might give into incoherent murmurs.

Finally deciding to stand up from his position, yet not releasing the bridle, Archer urged for her to also stand. As she did, Archer felt a new emotion bubble up: curiosity.

"Hmm," Archer raised his brow at the wordless question. "You're wondering how I knew I could do this?"

A nod.

'A witless assumption,' Archer grumbled in his mind. "An educated guess. I knew from the moment you revealed your Noble Phantasm that you were Medusa. I also knew that you were, at least at one point, a near mindless beast. It stands to reason that if Bellerophon can tame the fierce Pegasus, it might do the same to the youngest of the Gorgons."

A feeling of awe ascended in his mind, making Archer feel chagrined.

'Definitely the youngest,' he decided. 'That such an idiotic move impressed rather than inspire scorn tells me something. Although…'

"What to do…" Archer sighed. While he was glad that he had won out, the situation was far from what he had expected. At the most, he had been hoping for a chance to slay the Servant. The emotional connection certainly hadn't been anywhere near his calculations, and that she would be so… docile afterwards was also far too bizarre.

There was definitely something going on in this situation. He almost wished he hadn't slain Shinji, as he could have questioned him before silencing the idiot. He wasn't going to risk fooling around with the bridle and remove the bit. It was entirely possible that it was the only thing keeping the Servant so obedient, and answers to his questions weren't worth reigniting a battle.

Sighing again, Archer led Rider along, picking up the somewhat bloodstained book nearby Shinji's corpse before walking down the stairs with the taller girl in tow. He could figure this out later; he just wanted to get back to the Emiya residence before his growing headache killed him. However, fate didn't give a damn what he wanted.

Archer suddenly felt his senses jolt, and the reason became immediately apparent when an imposing figure almost seemed to materialize out of the shadows. How the giant had concealed its presence Archer had absolutely no idea, but he didn't waste time in pondering it.

"Tch!" Archer felt the wordless sound escape his lips as he shifted Bellerophon to one hand and Traced Bakuya in his other.

"Ahaha!" Ilya let out an amused giggle. "I see you took care of both of them rather well, didn't you?"

Frowning, Archer didn't reply. His attention was focused solely on the massive creature behind its Master. The stairway was cramped and narrow, and considering the speed and power of the creature, Archer knew it would be complete suicide to start a fight. That left only retreating, but if Rider became uncooperative, he'd simply have to kill her and flee as fast as possible.

Archer's thought paused as he noticed the dramatic change in the link between Rider and himself. It was almost like a heartbeat, the emotions pumped sporadically with wanting. Nonsensical images of Archer using riding her as a steed while battling Berserker momentarily filled his mind.

Ignoring the absurdity of it, Archer glanced at Rider with a curious expression.

"You want to fight?" The accompanying pulse seemed to confirm it, even if her face remained emotionless.

'Such a confusing person,' Archer thought as the Servant bent over in what appeared to be a combat stance, haunches stuck up in the air with hands centered onto the ground. 'Regardless, this is a plus, even if I don't want to risk fighting here.'

The experience of the bridle guiding him, Archer pulled at the material, and felt Rider's excitement immediately calm, her emotions relaxing into a more sedate mood.

Archer froze as Ilya suddenly curtsied.

"Congratulations," Ilya said as she pulled herself up from the deep bow. "You simultaneously killed the Master and subdued the Servant to your will. An impressive feat, one I hope to emulate to a degree."

"Ha…?" Archer was shock was easily visible.

"To put it simply," explained Ilya. "You've inspired me. Although I thought it doubtful, I was hoping to bring Onii-chan to my side. But really, I hadn't given the idea much merit, until now at least."

"Don't tell me…" Archer suddenly felt his respect for the tiny magus take a deep plunge.

"Yes, if a variable nobody can tame someone like the Medusa of legends, surely I can do the same to someone of lesser stature."

"…" Archer bit his tongue, holding back a sarcastic remark. 'Don't make the crazy girl mad.'

"In thanks, I'll let you live for now." Ilya's face split in a grin, and then she turned around to leave.

"…" Archer blinked. 'Well, that was pointless.'

"You can get up now," said Archer, when he noticed that Rider was still hunched over.

Easily flipping herself back upright, Archer took note of the squirming sensation accompanying the action. Embarrassment, but she also held a feeling of… shame, or perhaps sadness, if he wasn't mistaking it.

Raising his brow, Archer decided to test the limits. Reaching up, he placed his – now empty – hand onto the tall woman's crown. Rubbing the area somewhat stiffly, Archer had to control a facial twitch.

"Good," he stated. Grinding the words out as he did, it sounded like backhanded compliment of some sort. 'This is absolutely ridiculous…'

'And it's also working…' Archer almost felt like crying when a glow of pride pulsated through the link. 'I swear, it's like some kind of cosmic joke. My most idiotic ideas pan out JUST right. If things were to even out, if I ever have a perfectly laid out, logical plan, it will probably just blow up in my face.'

"Alright, let's get back to the Emiya residence." Archer declined to go down the stairwell, and instead turned back to the rooftop. Before, he hadn't wanted to risk testing the bridle by jumping down; he simply didn't know its ins and outs well enough to judge using even a minor amount of energy. While Tracing it allowed him use it with ease, in his current state, it was more like muscle memory. He was using the memory of its past users instead of really knowing about it himself, not consciously. Of course, with Rider so obedient, enough that she was willing to fight for him only minutes after placing the bride on her, he felt it was less of a danger then to risk bumping into any Masters out hunting… again.

Archer didn't even need to glance at Rider, getting used the connection between them currently allowed him to read her feelings instantly. Jumping off the tower, Archer fell down at with Rider only a few meters behind him. Judging the distance evenly, it was only a handful of seconds later that he touched down on a nearby building, and then proceeded to leap to the ground.

Glancing about, Archer noted that Ilya had yet to leave, and decided not to risk running into the insane girl again by departing swiftly. While he doubted that she would initiate a battle, good as her mood had been, he wasn't stupid enough to test his luck.

"Come," Archer murmured when he noticed that Rider's emotions felt… airy. She was distracted, but digging a bit further would take time he didn't want to waste.

---

Rider's feelings of the situation were split. After her battle lust had calmed, and she finished admiring the brilliant move that had completely subdued her, she had ended up with somewhat mixed thoughts.

On one hand, the situation was humiliating. That she had been stupid enough to get snagged by her own Noble Phantasm, or that the bridle itself had even _worked_ on her was enough that she wanted to groan at the absurdity. That she was calmly walking along like a good little pet was just the final blow. In addition, she couldn't do anything for Sakura now, although Shinji was no longer a problem.

However, on the other hand, in the same way, the entire situation also made her feel… nostalgic. It was somewhat shaming to admit, but the feeling of being treated as a beast of burden reminded her of her sisters. While Archer – even as an enemy – was nowhere near as cruel as her elder siblings, the emotions that being held under Bellerophon inspired were the same. Humiliation, the feeling her sisters had so often caused beside the fear. Not a matter of degradation, but more a sense of utter shame at her own uselessness. Something caused by an individual of actual worth, looking down on his lesser.

In a way, it was almost… pleasant to feel it again.

The situation differed from the Matou's in that they were truly the worst kind of human. Disgusting, perverted wretches. Deep down, her sisters were true family, unlike the now deceased cretin. Archer hardly seemed to be akin to those types of people; what some would find erotic seemed to cause exasperation rather then anything, as if he was blaming Rider for looking so ridiculous.

Oooh, yes, it was her fault that it ended up like this. She could almost hear his tired complaints on her worthlessness. She felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment; she wanted to cry in happiness.

It felt just like home.

---

Archer's return to the Emiya residence was a sight to behold. Rin had immediately felt his proximity, and both Saber and Shirou had joined her in greeting him when he jumped into the backyard.

Of course, they hadn't been expecting his companion to join them. Likely, the only thing that had kept them from arming themselves was the bizarre sight of the enemy Servant being lead along by the reins.

Despite his own misgivings, Archer assured Rin that Rider was under control, for now anyway. Wordlessly, they had gathered into the dining room. His report was sparse, to the point, and there were no interruptions. It took only a few minutes for him to recount his actions.

"Shinji's really dead, then?" Shirou's first question caused Archer to hold back a sneer.

He didn't know why, but it seemed like every single word that left the redhead's mouth caused him to hold back an urge to throttle the magus. He knew it was important – it was like an itch in his mind, one that he had yet to scratch just right. Regardless, he hadn't found the time to dwell on it.

"Yes," Archer confirmed, again. "I would be highly impressed if he could somehow live through having his skull emptied."

"I see." Unexpectedly, Shirou only nodded, with a frown marring his face. Archer had thought he'd start whining about killing a human. Perhaps the boy was actually beginning to show some common sense.

Seeing Saber glancing at Rider suspiciously, Archer quickly picked up on her train of thought. Nodding to himself, Archer tugged on the captured Servant's reins, making her inch closer.

Wordlessly, and ignoring the incredulous gaze that everyone directed at him, Archer once again tested the limits. Reaching up, he gently pulled the tall woman's down to the side, all the while trying to envision a calming sort of cocoon encircling the ball of emotions that he had quickly adapted to.

Amazingly, or perhaps expectedly, only a few moments later Rider was dozing off in his lap. He hadn't even felt a single effort of resistance.

"Archer, what…?" Rin stared incredulously at the sight before her. It had been odd enough with the bridle, but it honestly became a bit disturbing when Rider had fallen asleep with her head resting on Archer's lap. That her Servant's was stiffly petting the woman was the final stroke to the surreal picture.

"It's the best way to keep her out of the conversation," Archer stated. "I can control her emotions to a degree, but if something is said here that upsets her, I can't guarantee anything."

"Ah…" Rin hesitated, but nodded at the odd logic. "Well, I suppose then the first order of busy would be what to do with her."

"Hmm, with this," Shirou gestured at the grimy tome, "we can contract her?"

He remembered the book, and assumed correctly that it was what made Shinji Rider's master.

"Yes…" Rin nodded. "But, to be honest Emiya-kun, I don't think you'd be able to do it. You're not even able to adequately provide for Saber."

Shirou nodded in agreement, with his cheeks colored a light pink.

"However, Rin." Archer interrupted. "You might not be able to contract her either. She didn't like Shinji; I believe she was forced into it somehow. It could have been a command seal, but even if that's not the case, I doubt you'll have the same leverage as him."

"True," Rin nodded with a frown on her face. "What then? Can you use her with that bridle?"

"No, this won't last the day." Archer pulled lightly on the golden-like material. "I could Trace another, but even if I could overcome the problem of getting it on again, it would not work well to have to do so every day."

"She seems… agreeable right now." Shirou looked curiously at Rider's sleeping form.

"I believe it partly due to the bridle," Archer murmured. "At the very least, I won't be able to manipulate her like this once it's gone."

"Then…" Saber paused, a frown creeping up on her face. "It would be best to kill her right now."

Shirou looked like he wanted to argue, but swallowed his exclamation. It was obvious that Saber found the thought just as distasteful.

"True," Rin stated. Her expression displeased. She wasn't so morally inclined that killing enemies when they were defenseless bothered her, but it was somewhat galling that she couldn't make use of the excellent opportunity that her Servant had presented her.

"Archer," the brunette glanced at him. "Are you sure there isn't any way you could… convince Rider?"

Archer didn't say anything, his thoughts cycling through ideas. An unwilling Servant would always be able to get free eventually, and that 'eventually' usually ended with the Master's death. Commands seals could allow for some leeway, but using the book as such wasn't an option, and that meant an actual agreement between the Rider and one of them was necessary. Still, he didn't know enough about the purple-haired Gorgon from just the time he'd defeated her to really be of any help.

"I don't be-," Archer froze mid-word, an idea suddenly coming to mind. It was… stupid, really, really stupid. It would also work, if his past experience on the issue were any indication. "…Perhaps."

Hmm, how to explain rationally?

---

"Nnnh…" Rider gave a small, muffled groan. Strangely, falling asleep under Archer's touch felt quite different from what would count as rest to an Eirei.

Lifting her head, Rider quickly noticed that only Archer was in the room.

"While you were asleep, I decided on your fate." Immediately, she was on edge. She had been expecting as such, but thinking on it, she knew what the best action to take was. Still, it was… odd, that he would wait until she was awake.

"I thought it over, and of course the most obvious action was to kill you." Archer gave her a significant look. "But that's not something you'd really like, would it?"

Shaking her head in a negative, Rider waited.

Archer sighed, and Rider felt her stomach plummet. That was it, wasn't it? Dying like this… so worthless. She couldn't even help Sakura, and her death would be only because the person who slew Shinji couldn't find a use for her. She was like a dangerous beast that had to be put down for the good of others.

"That's quite an accurate statement," Archer said, shocking her witless. Had he read her mind?

"To a degree," Archer confirmed. "But you don't want it to end like this, do you?"

Shaking her head again, Rider looked at Archer curiously.

"But I can't trust you, now can I?" Archer tilted his head. "Quite the dilemma you've caused."

"Mmmpf…" Rider crawled forward, her thoughts blaringly obvious. 'You can!'

Even without giving it much thought, Rider realized that it didn't make much sense. Regardless, she wanted… needed Archer's trust. If for no other reason then to prove her own worth. The thought of being a rabid beast honestly scared her beyond rational thought. Of her time during life, at her very moment of death, her greatest regret was that she had given in to that mindlessness. While she had found Perseus repugnant, she was somewhat grateful to the man for ending her miserable life.

"Can I, can I really?" Archer narrowed his eyes. "You have a Master, one that you truly like, are loyal to. What's to say that you won't simply turn on me at a moment's notice?"

"…" Rider bowed her head. There wasn't anything she could say, literally or figuratively. How could she earn any sort of trust, when even she couldn't be sure that she wouldn't betray it at a critical moment?

"In a way," Archer continued, "it's similar to the situation with your sisters. Whose to say that if I let you, you wouldn't simply revert back to a monster?"

"…" Rider barely held back a cringe as Archer stated her thoughts out loud. A panicked desperate was starting to bubble up in her. She didn't want it to end like this; she wanted some sort of resolve that allowed for her to show that she was different from when she was alive. Thoughts of a solution sprang to mind. "Mmf…"

"And you're not just running away with that?" Archer glared. "You think because I have this bridle, you can just rely on me to pull you back? Awfully arrogant of you, to think that you deserve such a thing, isn't it?"

"…!" Rider swallowed, and the panicky feeling only grew stronger in the pit of her stomach.

"No, actually…" Archer trailed off, before seemingly coming to a conclusion. "Actually, I don't think you deserve it at all. You're really starting to like it, aren't you? It's like a safeguard, even if it puts you in the hands of an enemy, you don't have to worry about going out of control."

"No, I don't think you deserve that, not at all." Archer stood up.

Immediately coming to the correct conclusion, Rider fled backwards. Futilely, she crawled away, but she didn't even take more then a few steps before she was yanked back by the reins.

Before she even realized it, the bridle was already off. The imposing, watching – comforting – presence that she hadn't even noticed until that point disappeared.

For a moment, Rider grasped at the empty air, hoping, praying that she still had Bellerophon wrapped around her, before she came back to herself. Seemingly calming down, Rider shifted herself into a stanza position.

"Hmm, it is like a drug, I wonder?" Archer looked at Rider's trembling hands. "Or are you simply that weak, that after a few hours free of worry, you can't handle going without it?"

"I am not weak…" Rider whispered, not confident of it even before she opened her mouth. "I… will not turn into a mindless creature."

"You won't, will you?" Archer's presence was such that it was similar to the overwhelming feeling that she was now missing. Somehow, it almost felt comforting, if only slightly.

"No, I won't." Rider confirmed.

"Then, even if I were to encounter your former Master, you would have no trouble fighting her?" Skepticism dripped from his question.

"…If she were endangering you, yes." Rider's reply was hesitant, but Archer felt a certain amount of conviction beyond it.

'I can't believe this is…'

"Very well, let's see if you aren't beyond redemption." Archer picked up an object beside him and stood up.

It was Shinji's book; no… it was Archer's book now, wasn't it?

"From this point on, I'll be your Master." Archer placed his hand on Rider's head.

Such a thing wasn't necessary, but Rider felt a sense of relief – not unlike when she first felt the bridle snare her – bubble up in place of the now soothed panic.

"Yes, Master."

'How in the world…?' Archer carefully concealed the incredulousness he was feeling. 'She's smiling. How can this possibly be working?'

Archer held back a sigh. Everything action from this point would need to be carefully weighted. The main hurdle was past, but it was really only the beginning in terms of work. Almost every single action needed to reinforce Rider's feelings on the situation.

Thinking over the conversation he'd had not a half an hour ago, Archer wondered what sort of insanity he had been under to purpose such a plan.

---

_"So, like brainwashing?" Rin's brow was raised in disbelief._

_"You might want to make more of a comparison to conditioning, but essentially, yes." Archer nodded. "While I haven't had a lot of time, I did notice that Rider found the experience of being under the bridle a… relief, of sorts. Thinking on some interpreted images I saw, it's possible that it's a result of the way she grew up during life, under the oppression of her sister's."_

_"If I tried, I might be able to make her rely on myself for that leverage, or dominance, whatever it may be." Archer continued to stroke Rider's locks of hair. "The main thing would be constant reinforcement. On its most basic level, I believe that's what the bridle does anyway."_

_"That… That seems rather… stupid." Despite her words, Rin seemed to be wavering while she watched her Servant pet Rider, who had curled up even closer to him._

_Trying not to let it show that he thought the same, Archer pressed forward._

_"Perhaps it may seem so, but if you want Rider as your Servant, this would be the best chance. Technically, I'll be the Master, but you'll still be providing for the both of us, and since I'm your Servant, Rin…"_

_"Right, right…" Rin sagged. "Well, that's fine I suppose. Still, just in case, we should make sure she wouldn't be able to escape. If it comes down to it, we can easily beat her, especially since her maryoku is at low level right now."_

_"Wait a minute," Shirou interrupted, placing his palm down on the table. "Are you really okay with doing this? This… would be little better than enslavement."_

_"Then what would you rather, Emiya-kun?" Rin glanced at him. "Do you have a better solution? The only other alternative is to kill her."_

_"I…" Shirou trailed off, gritting his teeth. "…no."_

_"You may not like it, but the fact is, it's the best solution. While my maryoku would be down from supporting two Servants, our forces would be up by a large margin. That means the war gets finished that much faster, in our favor. It's either this, which also helps boost our forces, or killing her right now." Rin shot a look at the snoozing Rider. "Besides, it's not even guaranteed to work, we may end up having to kill her anyway."_

_"Right..." Shirou conceded, clearly still bothered, but realizing that there was little choice in the matter._

_"In that case, I shall prepare for battle." Saber stood up, and departed to the doujou after giving a nod to Shirou._

_"I'll set up the 'stage' for this – in the storeroom, I think – if she tries to flee we'll need to location her immediately. Rider is the fastest Servant class, even if she doesn't have a lot of maryoku right now, she'll be able to outrun us if we let her."_

_Rin stood and left the room, leaving Shirou and Archer as the only conscious ones at the table._

_Shirou glanced at Archer with a blank look. "I guess… I'll make dinner."_

_"…" Archer gave the same blank expression as Shirou stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Right."_

_Turning his gaze back to the dozing Rider, Archer suddenly felt somewhat less encouraged then even before._

_'There's no way this can possibly work…'_

---

Saber gave a small sigh as she stopped listening in. She was somewhat relieved, but a small part of her was also uncomfortable with the thought of the Gorgon as an 'ally'. She knew that Archer actually put very little faith into the thought of Rider going berserk, but Saber thought differently.

Foremost, she had very little confidence in someone with such blatant disregard for human life as Rider. With such a Master as Matou Shinji, Saber could have believed that she was forced into it, but she very much doubted that was the case. Additionally, while more of a personal matter, Saber simply couldn't trust someone that had only hours before been grinning at her impeding demise.

'Still, I've dealt with such situations before,' Saber reminded herself. 'This matter is little different, and on a much less grand scale. However, that is not the full problem.'

Sighing again, Saber shook her head as she started walking away. 'While this appears to have boosted 'our' forces, that is only partly true.'

'I will have to be on the look out, Shirou seems to have forgotten that Archer and Rin – and now Rider – are not truly our allies. Sooner or later, I am certain things will start to turn sour.'

Pausing a moment, Saber sniffed the air, and allowed her expression to melt into a pleasant smile. 'Well, I think I can put aside those thoughts for now. Dinner is almost prepared.'

Doing exactly so, Saber retreated into the house and headed straight for the dining room.

---

Matou Sakura glanced around nervously as she stepped over the threshold of one of the rooms she usually avoided if she could.

"Grandfather?" Sakura called out hesitantly.

She normally wouldn't have even thought about entering Zouken's room unless specifically called, however…

"Hello?" Sakura tried again. Peering into the darkened room gave her a chill. Even without the foreboding sensation that called her here, much of the household was almost alien to her at times.

"Good evening, Matou-san." A deep baritone answered her query, causing her to whip around to her right.

"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, her expression carefully blank as she stared at the intruder. The sense of danger she had felt was definitely the person in front of her. She didn't bother to prepare any defenses, if he had wanted to kill her, he could have done so the moment she stepped into the room.

"My name is Kotomine Kirei," the man replied as he stepped forward. "And if you are willing to listen, I have a proposal for you."

---

Rider is Readily Ridden – End Chapter One

---

Footnote: **Maryoku**– Prana, Mana… Od? It's simpler just to call it maryoku then get caught up in all the technicalities of using the English(Sanskrit? Melanesian? God, what?) terms that are… wrong? Not technically correct? (Not really the case with most of them.) Regardless, it's the term I'll be using for 'magic' most of the time in this little bit of fiction.

Nobody pre-read this, but the above-mentioned people (especially you, Mereo) were invaluable to this little bit of fiction's production.


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